Summer rain and its side effects
by Leia de Flourite
Summary: When it starts to rain in summer, it's not only the air that will be cleared but also people's minds. Being stuck under a tree with someone you like can change things as you never expected.  YuuiSyaoron
1. Sharing a Tree

_**Chapter 1: Sharing a Tree**_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Shiritsu Horitsuba Gakuen and its characters, the Child of Rain (You know, that spirit that Watanuki had to deal with in xxxHolic. I forgot her Japanese Name) or the lyrics I'm using. I don't own a tree. I only own the idea. And an umbrella that shows a blue sky with white puffy clouds.

_

* * *

Now that it's raining more than ever_

_Know that we'll still have each other_

_You can stand under my umbrella_

Plain White T's, "Umbrella"[1]

* * *

There was nothing like summer rain. Sometimes you could already feel it coming; you could smell it in the air and feel the humidity sneaking into your clothes. And sometimes it happened in the blink of an eye, big, cool, but not unpleasantly cold droplets hit your neck and as soon as you realize that it's raining, the sky turns grey, masses of dark clouds are woven to form a blanket able to block out the sun.

Summer rain was not rain _per se_; it was an attack, water falling down so fast that it sounded like someone up there just flushed. There was no way to hide from it and no way to be prepared. Because summer rain was following Murphy's Law. Of course, you could keep an umbrella with you but that's very much it: keeping it with you. Not using it. No, it's never raining when you have an umbrella with you.

And by the way: why would anyone walk around with an umbrella in summertime?

Makes you look weird.

And that was the reason why it was raining a lot in summer months.

Yuui de Flourite, born in France, former chef of a restaurant in Naples and current teacher of home economics at the Horitsuba Private Academy, didn't mind. On this campus, the classrooms were not that far away from the teacher's apartments, even if one got soaking wet, one could change clothes just ten minutes later. Besides, he used to walk home with Fai and Fai always had an umbrella with him, a bright yellow monstrosity with blue duckies on it.

Fai didn't mind looking weird.

Fai loved singing _under my umbrella-ella-ella-eh-eh-eh _when it rained.

Unfortunately, one beautiful day of summer, Fai got ill, so Yuui had to walk home alone. The sun was high up in a copper sulfate blue sky with fluffy white clouds, so one might think _"hey, what a nice day"_… until one walked into open space. The air outside of every building with an air conditioner was not only hot, it was thick and heavy and humid. The perfect weather for hiding in the shadows, drinking iced tea and loud complaining and moaning. Not for taking an extra long walk home, because you had to go to a nearby drug store to get some medicine for your fever shaking twin.

It took the blond half an hour to get to the store and by the time he was finally on his way back it was 4 p.m. Yuui walked along an almost deserted alley, as it started to rain. It started slowly, slightly dripping until the child of rain used her key to open the shutters of heaven. Within less than a minute it poured and the H. E. teacher ran, a brown paper bag pressed to his chest. He didn't want it to get wet and to scatter all its contents onto the street.

He passed several trees that had been planted along the streets, most of them not quite taller than a grown up man, nothing to hide, nothing to protect him from this awful rain. Then he saw it.

An oak.

A huge oak with strong branches that carried so much leaves that they formed a kind of natural roof. Under the oak there was a dry spot almost a circle of one meter in diameter. Finally, a place to rest.

Yuui closed his eyes and let out a relieved sigh when he reached the tree, relaxing a little bit. Now he only had to wait until the rain would stop.

Standing there, listening to the sound of splashing water, he lost his sense of time. Minutes passed. Few people walked by, ducking under their umbrellas, somehow being able to fool Murphy's Law. The blond man didn't seem to notice; he stared at the droplets falling onto the dark asphalt.

Somehow the sight didn't bore him.

He remembered that Fai used to stare at a rotary evaporator in the school's lab, wasting minutes by just watching colourless solvents condensate in a round bottomed flask, being completely quiet. Yuui never figured out why this apparatus had such a calming effect on his bubbly brother but Fai never got bored of the sight.

Maybe he was experiencing the same thing right now.

It was soothing, cooling down the human mind and the temperature of the air. And then there was this scent of… pureness as all the emissions from cars and houses were bound by water, leaving nothing but freshness.

"Sensei?"

Yuui snapped out of his rain induced daydream and stared at the student who stared back with a curious expression. It was one of the Li twins although the blond couldn't tell which one. Yet. He only noticed that the boy war carrying a backpack, the shoulders of his T-shirt were wet and his tousled brown hair looked a bit messy, probably because of the weather. Wet streaks were running down his forehead. A smirk was creeping onto the boys lips. "Mind sharing a tree with me, sensei?", he asked and Yuui knew instantly that it was Syaoron, the younger one.

Yuui frowned, not being familiar to that phrase. He heard of sharing an umbrella, yes, but sharing a _tree_? "Of course I don't mind, Syaoron-kun. I mean, it's not like I own this tree, right?"

The boy didn't reply and so they stood there waiting, a student and a teacher, sharing a tree. Sharing silence. However, there was something the blond _did_ mind. He liked silence when he was alone, but now he wasn't all alone anymore and the student's presence made him a little bit nervous. Kids were supposed to be chatting and running around and playing games, but Syaoron didn't seem into chatting, he didn't even hum to get rid of the silence and unlike his brother he was not shy, so the silent smile on the boys face made him look like he was up to something.

"Why are you here, Yuui-sensei?", the brunet asked his eyes fixed on the other side of the road while doing so. It was about then that the older man realized he had been staring at the boy for several moments.

"You mean under the tree?" Yuui knew that was a stupid question but he wasn't feeling smart in the presence of the boy anyway and 'here' was a quite unspecified word.

"No, I mean why did you move here to become a teacher? Fai-sensei told me you were a cook in an Italian restaurant before."

"Oh. Right. Well, the chairman offered me a job, that's why. I thought it would be a good opportunity to see my brother again."

Syaoron-kun turned his head, his amber eyes looking for the blue ones of his teacher. "You and Fai-sensei are quite the opposites, right?", the boy commented, "although you are looking the same. Well, not exactly the same, but… you know." He shrugged.

The blond smiled. "You and Syaoran-kun have also quite different personalities."

"Yeah."

It seemed like there was nothing more to say, so they both chose to stare at the other side of the road, although there was nothing to focus on. The rain was getting even stronger, louder. It sounded like they were caught in the middle of a thunderous river and then the first droplets made their way through the roof of leaves, dripping on skin that had dried just recently and making the couple underneath the tree moving closer together. It was still dry on the small area around the stem.

Suddenly, as they were close enough that their arms almost touched, the boy sneezed.

"Bless you."

"Thanks." Syaoron rubbed his nose and tried not to look at his teacher. He could almost feel the gaze of the older man on his skin.

"You should get home soon, before you get sick. I hope it stops raining in time."

"You too", the brunet stated.

"Pardon?"

"You should get home soon, too, Yuui-sensei. This is medicine, right?" The boy pointed at the paper bag in his teacher's arms. He just recognized the label on that bag. "And I guess, Fai-sensei will be waiting for you."

"Syaoron-kun…", Yuui started but cut off, realizing he didn't know how to continue. Somehow his student just sounded… sad. But that didn't make sense, did it? "Brother will be fine. Kurogane-sensei promised to look after him until I get home and it's not like we don't have any cold medication, it's just not that much anymore. But Syaoron-kun, can I ask you a question?"

The brunet shrugged again. "Sure."

"Why are _you_ here?"

"You mean under the tree?"

He was teasing, Yuui realized. That boy was just teasing him. What a mischievous kid. He had noticed this behavior before, in his cooking class as Syaoron-kun had made his twin blush deeply, mentioning Syaoran-kuns affection for Sakura-chan.

"No. I mean yes, sort of. What are you doing all alone in this part of the city?" There was no movie theater nearby, no fairground, no shopping mall. All the places where one would expect to meet teenagers. There were some cafes, but that still didn't explain why the boy was not with friends or class mates.

"I went to the library." [2]

"Oh. You like books?"

"You sound surprised", the boy stated.

"Well, um, no, It's just…" Yuui noticed that he was almost stuttering and that caused Syaoron to giggle. Not in a girly way, the boy just sounded amused.

"It's just something you and your brother have in common", the blond finished.

The boy sneezed again, heavily. And he muttered little curses after doing so.

"My, my Syaoron-kun, you are really going to catch a cold." Yuui rubbed the kid's back sympathetically.

"I'll be fine, Yuui-sensei. Say, do you like it here?"

What was he just going to do with that boy? It was really not like Syaoron, asking that many questions, changing subject permanently. He wasn't like that in class or with his friends (as far as Yuui could tell). Could it be… no. No, there was no reason to believe he was special to that kid.

"Um, Yuui-sensei, you face is getting red."

"Well, I feel warm, that's all", the teacher replied, blushing even more and cursing his stupid thoughts. There was no reason to believe he was special to that boy just because Syaoron-kun was special to him. Although that was something he kept secret even from his beloved twin. Yuui would never admit to anyone that he liked this student more than any other one nor did he understand the reason why he felt this way.

"I see. So, do you like the school?"

"Yes. It's nice and peaceful and everyone is so kind. And I like teaching. It's much more relaxing than actually working as a cook and it's much more inspiring, too. You guys give me ideas for new recipes all the time."

"I think you're a good teacher."

"Oh, thank you Syaoron." [3] He gave the brunet his most happy smile and the boy smiled back.

"Yuui-sensei?"

"Yes?"

"It stopped raining."

"Really?" The older man frowned, looking around. He hadn't noticed at all. And he started to feel regret which was odd because there was no reason to miss the rain. It was not like he wanted to be stuck under a tree. With a student. With this particular student… There was no way denying it. Syaoron-kun had a way of irritating him, making him nervous and saying stupid things but he enjoyed being near the younger one.

"Well, let's walk home." Yuui sighed.

They were walking for about ten minutes as it started to rain again. However, this time there was no need to run and look out for a place to hide. This time, Syaoron opened his bag pack, picking his grass green umbrella and opened it. Yuui was startled.

"You had that with you all the time? Why didn't you say so?"

"You didn't ask." The boy smirked mischievously. "Mind sharing an umbrella with me, sensei?"

"Yes, I do. I don't like sharing umbrellas with people who make a fool out of me."

"I wasn't trying to fool you, sensei", Syaoron said apologetically. The boy was holding the umbrella higher, not wanting his precious teacher to get wet. Yuui didn't look mad. He never got mad; he was a calm and balanced person. (He had to be, that was a mechanism by nature making sure he would endure Fai.)

Yuui looked disappointed. For the student, this was even worse than madness.

"Well, what exactly _were_ you trying to do, then?"

"Um…" The younger one found his shoes suddenly very interesting. "Nothing, really. I just saw you standing there and you looked kinda lost. I just wanted to… talk."

"Misleading poeople just to get attention is not a very nice habit, Syaoron-kun", the blonde said. He kneeled down next to the boy and – smiled. Amber eyes looked at him, puzzled. "Especially if there is no need to do so. If you want to talk to me, just do it."

"Right. I'm sorry."

"You should be. But think of a way to make up for this later. Now it's time to walk home." His long yet delicate-looking hands were closing around the handle of the umbrella cupping the younger ones hand as the teacher stood up.

Syaoron felt his heart beat faster. All he had wanted was to get to know this man a little better, to tease him a little and now? The boy realized that was given so much more than he expected to, while he had lost something else.

He smiled at the thought. And as they walked away, side by side, the boy asked: "Sensei, would you say that I am nobody?"

"…"

"Sensei?"

"That is a strange question, Syaoron-kun. Of course you're not nobody."

"Yeah, I thought so."

* * *

[1] I know, the original is by Rihanna. The version Fai loves to sing is by Rihanna too, 'cause it matches his voice better. ^^ But for the mood of this fic, I guess this cover version sounds better.

[2] The only explanation I could find that made Syaoron not look like a stalker. I leave it to your imagination, if he really was in that library. XD

[3] No –kun in here. It was intentional by me, subconscious by Yuui.

I had the basic idea for this one shot on Thursday, as I picked my sister up from the kindergarten. So this is the first fanfic I wrote it in English first and once it's finished I will translate it into my mother tongue. Or rewriting, that is. Honestly, I think it's faster this way.

Guess what? It started raining. It was raining even under the damn tree we were standing. Well, rain in summer is very common in Germany, but these days the rain gods are pushing it too far, if you ask me. We had minor flooding in Saxony. Thank god, not in the area near Dresden, I don't want to experience that mess from 2002 again.

Anyway, this one shot didn't turn out as I expected but I like it nevertheless. But I might add another "chapter" in time (well, more like an additional scene otherwise it wouldn't be a one shot anymore), I don't think this is enough. And the strange question Syaoron asked will have something to do with it.


	2. Somebody to Love

_**Chapter 2: Somebody to Love**_

**A/N:** I noticed that I wrote "Syaoran" instead of "Syaoron" on some parts of the first chapter, mainly in the beginning. Sooooo embarassing. u/u Sorry for that.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Shiritsu Horitsuba Gakuen and its characters or the lyrics I'm (ab)using. I don't own _Paula und Paula_. I only own the idea. By the way, for this first part of the story I have to thank my family for arguing about a special topic every time.

**Pairing:** Still SyaoronYuui, with a little bit of KuroFai. And no, Kurogane and Fai are not dating. Yet. In Drama CD 3, their friendship is getting deeper, as Yuuko pointed out. So I assume, they are not together and they have not confessed their love to each other. Although I bet there's a lot flirting going on. And spying on Kuro-pon under the shower. ^.^

**Warning:** gosh, this is so stupid. The last part sounded much more fun before I had to write it. I just hope it's not too confusing or pointless. O.O

* * *

_I said the world, it still is the same_

_You'll never change it, just as sure as the stars shine above_

_Good god, baby, you ain't nobody until somebody loves you_

_So find yourself somebody to love_

Michael Bublé, "You are nobody until somebody loves you"

* * *

The moment he put the key into the keyhole – it was almost evening by then – Yuui noticed a strange dialogue going on inside the apartment. _'Wait… this can't be right'_, he thought, unlocked the door and went in. Fai and Kurogane-san having an argument was not a new thing, especially if Fai was trying to persuade the dark tanned man to do something 'fun' – the sorts of things other people call crazy, even insane. However, this was none such argument, this was more like, well… It was what it was.

"Moles", Fai insisted.

"Hedgehogs", Kurogane growled.

"Moles."

"No, they're not!"

"Ow, Kuro-puu, there's no need to scream like that, that won't make you right. Just look at their noses, they're flat. Hedgehogs have pointy noses. And quills. Paula and Paula don't have quills. They do in fact look very un-hedgehog-ish."

"There's no such word, moron."

"Um, guys," Yuui interrupted. He peeked into the living room to find his brother and the sports teacher sitting on the couch. Well, Kurogane was sitting, Fai was in a half-sitting, half-lying position, his feet resting on the arm rest of the sofa, his back leaning at one of the shoulders of the taller man. Both of them were watching a cartoon, so it seemed. A cartoon about two black cute animals walking around, holding hands, erm, paws and enjoying time together.

"Yay, Yuui's back!", Fai shouted out with glee, arms outstretched to welcome his brother. Yuui prepared himself for being glomped. Nothing happened. Fais arms dropped down like they were filled with lead as the older Flourite-twin almost collapsed (It was not quite possible for Fai to collapse, since he wasn't standing). The chemistry teacher let out a moan as he rested his head on his colleagues lap and muttered something like: "moving is bad."

Kurogane blushed immediately. "Stop it, idiot! Get yourself a damn pillow."

"But I am ill, Kuro-rin! And you are more comfortable than a pillow."

The red of Kuroganes face became a darker shade.

"Are you still having a headache?", Yuui asked softly.

"Only when I move my head." Fai chuckled.

"Then maybe shutting up would be a good idea", Kurogane complained, "and they **are** hedgehogs!"

"No, they're NOT! Their hands are shaped like a shovel and they are living in a molehill! They are moles."

"Their feet don't look like moles' feets."

"Maybe they had a mole fracture."

Kurogane just stared. Yuui sighed.

"Brother."

"Yeeeees?"

"You know, that was probably the worst chemistry pun[1] I ever heard. Even worse than the one with the polar bear."

"But Yuui, just look at them. What do you think they are?"

Great. How did _he_ get into this? The cooking teacher looked at the funny little creatures named Paula and Paula, how they were dancing amongst butterflies.

"Badgers?"

Now, Fai was in despair.

"Noooooo! Badgers have white stripes on their back."

Again, how did he get into this? And why were two grown up men watching goodnight TV program for kindergarten kids and elementary pupils in the first place? "That doesn't make sense. Moles are blind and they would not walk around in bright daylight."

"Nothing in this damn show makes any kind of sense", Kurogane grumbled, "They are obviously twins but they don't just look the same, they are the same. They act the same and they even have the same name and no one seems to _mind_ or _care_ how to tell them apart."

Yuui couldn't help but think about what his life would be like if he and his brother were both named Fai or Yuui. _'Good god!'_

"Relax, Kuro-tan. It's just a TV show."

"Shut up and sleep, idiot."

When _Paula and Paula_ was over, Kurogane went into the kitchen where Yuui was preparing dinner, leaving Fai alone with the remote control. Seconds later, the annoying laughter of a yellow square-shaped sponge could be heard.

A nerve on the tall man's forehead was twitching. "He's even worse, when he's sick!"

Yuui chuckled. "Not always. But thanks for looking after him."

The black haired man shrugged, which was his way of saying 'You're welcome.' "By the way, his fever dropped to 37,5° C [2] in the afternoon."

"I'm glad. He really made me worry."

"Lucky you."

The blond man blinked irritated. He hadn't heard any hints of irony in the other one's voice. But why would Kurogane envy him for worrying? Instead of asking further, Yuui just said: "Do you want to stay for dinner?"

"No."

"Not even as a reward for playing babysitter?" The twin smiled. 'Babysitting' was not the phrase he would choose, it was how Kurogane-san had called this job in the first place.

"There's no need to give me any reward for that."

"Still…"

"God, what is it with you people that you can't accept a simple 'no'?" Kurogane asked grumpily, "Maybe tomorrow. But not today."

"Why?"

A pair of strong muscled arms were crossed before a tanned chest, as the p.e. teacher closed his eyes and leaned on the kitchen wall. "Because your idiot of a brother would keep pretending he is just fine if I did. Instead of doing what a sane person would do: getting some rest."

Yuui almost dropped the pot he was holding as he recognized the older one was right.

Fai was not only eccentric, he was also a loving and caring person. He didn't want anyone to get sad, especially not because of him. Fai preferred lying instead of making other people worry. Yet, it was different when he was with Yuui, because the twins both knew they couldn't fool the other one. But how did Kurogane know about that? Why did that man know Fai so well that he could look right through this bubbly, happy-go-lucky surface?

Unless…

"You love him", Yuui whispered as the thought crossed his mind. Actually it was more like a high speed collision than crossing. It was like he just ran into the Wall of Realization.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing." Yuui didn't know what to do with this information. He wasn't the kind of person to interfere in such things, but he felt the urge to say _'He feels the same way, you know'_. Still, that was something Kurogane had to find out by himself as long as Fai didn't choose to confess.

The black haired man shrugged. "Fine. See you tomorrow."

"Goodbye, Kurogane-san."

The blond man could hear his twin's cries of disappointment as Kurogane crossed the living room and something that sounded like "not without a farewell-hug, Kuro-sama." Few moments later, said Kuro-sama was getting really pissed.

"I'm warning you, moron, if I don't see your sorry ass at school in two days, you're in serious trouble."

"I'll miss you, too", Fai cheered.

Then the door was slammed.

There was no better way to kill a cold than hot chicken broth and ginger tea. Or peppermint tea with honey and lemon. Yuui put a bowl of the soup with a cup of ginger tea on a tray and carried it into the living room, where his beloved twin had fallen asleep. Finally. But as Yuui turned off the TV, two eyes just like his own scanned him drowsily.

"Kuro-wanwan's been really angry when he left, wasn't he?", Fai whispered, his eyes hazed, his voice shaky. There it was, the fear of getting rejected. The only thing Fai was afraid of. Besides raw fish, but thast was another story.

"No, brother. He wasn't angry at you."

"But…."

"He knows. He knows you're playing it down and he doesn't like it. And I don't like it too, it's careless."

Yuui placed the tablet on the table and sat down on the floor next to the couch. With a faint smile, he stroked his brother's blond hair. "We just want you to get better."

Fai pulled the sheet up to his nose and looked away.

"You should tell him", Yuui proposed.

"I can't. He won't believe me."

"You don't know that."

"He has to confess first."

Yuui sighed. Sometimes it seemed to him that his brother didn't want to get happy. Sometimes he didn't understand his other half at all. "That's not fair of you. I don't think he's the kind of person who can say these three words easily, so even if he feels the same way, he may not say so. Emotions are complicated Fai, sometimes people don't realize how they really feel. _You_ know that you love him but if you're hiding it, Kurogane-san may not get the chance to find out about his feelings."

Suddenly, the image of Syaoron came to Yuui's mind; of how the kid was standing under his umbrella. This boy… why was he thinking of him right now? Was it because he didn't know about this kids feelings either? Lying, just to get closer to someone else… Yuui really wanted to know why Syaoron-kun did that. A part of him hoped that it was because the boy really liked him, but there was also that pragmatic part of him, insisting this was just wishful thinking. Maybe the kid just liked fooling people.

Maybe… but Yuui didn't believe Syaoron-kun was mean like that. He refused to believe it.

"Yuui?"

A warm hand touched the cheek of the younger Flourite twin and the blond looked up, seeing the soft smile on his brother's face.

"You were thinking, Yuui."

"Yeah, my mind just sort of… slipped off. Sorry."

Fai's smile widened. "Were you thinking of someone?"

"I…"

"Could it be that brother is in love, too?"`

Was he?

He liked Syaoron's presence, but… love was such a small word to describe such a huge and complicated feeling. The fact that Syaoron was able to make him smile just by walking through the door was not enough to call it love… was it? Also, this attraction was strictly emotional. It was not like he acted different towards that boy (getting distracted every now and then didn't count)… or wanted to touch him…(his fingers, closing around Syaoron's hand on the handle of an umbrella didn't count, either)… he just refused to think anything else but the best of this kid. He just liked to see him smile, liked the care he showed towards his brother, Syaoran. He liked watching Syaoron while cooking, when the younger ones eyebrows were wrinkled because he tried to knead a piece of very tough bread dough. The boy had a way of taking too much flour for the dough every time.

But it was not like his heart started racing every time he looked at Syaoron. It was not like he was close to fainting every time they coincidentally touched.

It was just a little crush, nothing more.

Just a little crush.

"You really are", Fai said, not aware that he was about to destroy his brother's denial, "I can tell by the look on your face. So you found somebody to love? You're not nobody anymore?"

Not nobody anymore… something about this words made Yuuis senses tingle. He had heard something similar before. Then he remembered Syaoron's question.

"_Sensei, would you say that I am nobody?"_

A coincidence?

"Fai, what do you mean, I am 'not nobody anymore'?"

"You don't know?"

"No! What am I supposed to know?" This day was becoming frustrating. He had to face more and more questions and no matter how many he answered, there were still too many left.

"There is this song. It says that you are nobody until somebody comes and loves you. That you are nobody 'til somebody cares and that this is the reason why people should find somebody to love."

So the boy might have asked him… Yuui found it suddenly very hard to breathe. He never wanted anyone to know about it, especially not the person involved.[3] He knew, his feelings were inappropriate. He knew they were hard to bare sometimes and they were not supposed to hurt or disturb anyone else.

"You don't look happy to find out", Fai stated, now stroking his brother's cheek to comfort him like he had always done when they were still kids. Fai's fingers were way to warm.

"It's complicated."

"Is it a student?"

Yuui fell silent. He hoped that Fai was just guessing about this, because he was afraid of his older twin's reaction. A student. A teenager. He didn't want to be called a paedophile. He knew he was none, after all this was just an affection, not lust. But people never cared about that when kids were involved.

"Is his birthday on April the 1st?"

"How do you… wait, I never said it's a 'he'."

"It's okay, brother. I think I know who it is."

"I never said a word."

"You never had to. You are my twin." Fai said but he still didn't smile. Yuui got nervous. The fact that the chemistry teacher who used to smile for everyone and because of everything, the man who had the most generous definition of love than anyone Yuui ever met still had this wondering look on his face was not a good sign. The older Flourite twin stared at the ceiling, folding his hands on his chest and nibbling on his lower lip. Then Fai fell silent.

Silent. **Fai**.

This was really serious.

"Poor Syaoron…", Fai murmured… and gasped, covering his mouth with his hand.

Yuui was hurt. This was mean and unfair. Sure, the cooking teacher never expected Fai to be all happy and cheery about it… but that was no reason to act like he was a sick, kid-seducing pervert. What was hurting the most was that he had to hear this words from the person who should know him best.

"Gosh, I was not supposed to tell you about it", Fai continued, not noticing the other one was close to tears, "Especially because I'm not sure. I mean, he never told me, he just asked a lot questions and it's not like Syaoron to show so much interest. Please don't let him know how you feel. I hope I'm wrong, but if I'm not…"

"Fai, what are you talking about?", Yuui cried desperately. He couldn't make sense of most of it, except for the 'not telling Syaoron'-part.

"I think it would be easier for him to accept he never had a chance, you know, being a student and stuff like that, if you've only fallen for another teacher or someone he doesn't know…"

'_What?'_

"… but one of his friends, really that will break his heart."

'_WHAT?'_

Slowly, the cooking teacher's mind was putting the pieces of this puzzle together. April first. A friend. Not a brother, a friend…

"FAI!"

"Yeah?"

"It's not Watanuki!" Now, Yuui couldn't hold back the tears any longer. But they were sweet tears of relief. Fai didn't think he was a pervert. Fai simply had come to a wrong conclusion. Just a stupid, stupid misunderstanding, no blaming, no disgust…

"…Oh. But you were always so fond of him."

Yuui wiped the tears away, chuckling. "Because he is good at cooking. Not because he is dear to me." _'Twin telepathy, huh? Whoever came up with that apparently never met us.'_

"Stop laughing, Yuui! That's not funny!"

"Yes it is!"

Fai pouted. "You know, you could at least tell me who it is, then."

"You don't care it's a teenager?"

"What has love to do with age?"

'_Yep. That was the answer I wanted to hear, brother.'_ He smiled and hugged his twin (which was not that easy to do since Fai was still lying on the couch, still pouting and confused). "Don't worry", he whispered, "No ones heart will be broken."

* * *

[1] a pun based on the similarity of the words 'mole' and 'mol'. The mol fracture x(a) of a Substance a is: x(a) = n(a)/(n(a)+n(b))

[2] For the American readers: that is 99.5 °F. I don't like Fahrenheit. It's a stupid unit, hard to transform into Kelvin. We should stick to Kelvin, that's at least an SI-unit.

[3] Not really. Well, I wanted to show that Syaoron knew about this song (maybe it's the kind of music his mother is into) but what he really intended to find out was if he was just anybody to his teacher or not. The answer of this question… well it's up to you. Do you think Yuui's reply was really helpful?

_Paula und Paula_ you may know as _"The mole sisters"._ I didn't want to call them like that, because then the little dialogue between Fai and Kurogane would not have been that irritating. XD. Besides, I think they were given the names Paula just in Germany. It sounded like that when I did some research on them on the _Sandmann_-Homepage. And yes, my father still thinks they're hedgehogs while I figured out they were moles immediately. Oh, they are so cute.

If you want to know about the polar bear pun, you have to write a review. (Lately, I've seen a T-shirt with a math pun. I didn't even know there was such a thing. _Don't drink and derive_, it said .)

There is another song text hint hidden in this chapter, maybe you'll find it. If you do, can you tell me the artist? I forgot. It's a 90's pop song if I am right. Oh and yeah… about the one-shot thing: this turns into a three-chapter-story. Erm… oops? I've never been a girl of few words.


	3. Nagging Conscience

_**Chapter 3: Nagging Conscience**_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Shiritsu Horitsuba Gakuen and its characters or the lyrics I'm using. All I have is the idea, the ability to bake and some freakin' mosquite bites.

**Pairing:** SyaoronYuui. Best crack pairing ever. And who knows… maybe they will be canon one day. If we keep believing, everything can happen, right?

_

* * *

And other times I think that you think I'm endearing_

_Sometimes I just don't know you at all_

_Although I liked to think I was a bit of a know-it-all_

_Sometimes I just cant work you out _

_Even though I'd like to know what you were about _

Kate Nash, "stitching leggins"

* * *

One day I was attending a lecture of inorganic chemistry and I got bored. My hand picked up my pen and without thinking about it I wrote down the first sentence that came into my mind.

_Ich wär' so gern ein Pfannkuchen. _

Yep. I wanted to be a pancake.

'_But why is this strange author telling me about this?'_, you might ask, _'instead of continuing her story about Yuui and Syaoron?'_ Well, what I'm about to tell you will have something to do with it.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to be cakes and pastries or something similarly sweet but nowadays one had to be careful about one's wishes. And not just because of certain shops and their owners.

I wanted to be a pancake but it could have been a chocolate chip cookie or a piece of apple poppy pie as well. However, I never wanted to be a pancake made by Yuui. Not after the muffin incident. And the cookie incident. I am not going to give you the details; there is just one thing you should know: Since Yuui de Flourite started being a home economics teacher, every now and then his baking goods just… burnt. Nobody worried about the muffins, they happen to burn easily… but cookies? Especially when you're standing right next to the oven?

Yuui knew he had a problem. He knew that a certain boy could distract him way too easily and that somebody would notice about it one day. That was why the blond teacher used to think that it would be better if this boy would not be in his class. The thought managed to last for about one second and then said boy noticed the stare of his teacher and grinned. The thought was dragged right out of Yuui's head to be drowned in the warm, fuzzy feeling that had been taken hold of the man.

It was a beautiful Thursday, the day after Yuui and the boy had been stuck under a tree, causing the man to think about the nature of his feelings. Yuui accepted the fact that he was indeed in love, but being in love and to love somebody were two completely different things. And as long as he was just in love, he still wanted to keep this as his secret, although Fai was not happy about it.

_

* * *

~~~a little time skip to the previous evening~~~_

"_So, what are you gonna do now?", Fai asked, hugging his little brother back._

"_Forcing you to eat your soup?", Yuui asked back, sounding a little bit clueless._

"_No, I mean about Syaoron-kun."_

"_Actually, I intended to do nothing at all. Things are alright the way they are now."_

"_But, he likes you and you like him. The next step would be to ask him out on a date."_

"_Fai, I can't do that! I am his teacher."_

"_Ha!"_

"'_Ha', what?"_

"_You're not practicing what you preach. You told me that I should confess my feelings to Kuro-sama, yet you refuse to do the same."_

"_My situation is completely different from yours."_

"_No, it's not!"_

_Yuui sighed. "Look, you and Kurogane are both teachers and you are adults. You are pretty much… gosh, how should I put it? You are equal. Your position in society is equal. But Syaoron is a student, and as his teacher I am supposed to educate him and to protect him from harm as long as he is in the school. I can't date him." _

_He was close to saying 'I can't date anyone!' but thought better. This would only lead into an argument, because Fai was the kind of person who loved dates, loved the worrying about what to wear or if a little present would be appropriate. Fai loved the anticipation._

_Well, to Yuui the concept of a date was just wrong. How was one supposed to get to know a person better if there was the pressure to look best and to behave best, not to forget the high expectations that were hardly fulfilled._

"_Coward", Fai whispered, pouting._

"_Brother…"_

"_Fine. You've won. I'll tell Kuro-rin that I love him."_

"_Oh, good. I believe he will -"_

"_I'll tell him as soon as you confessed to Syaoron."_

"_Fai, no!"_

_But the chemistry teacher already smiled like a Mad Cat. (A term Fai invented himself; a mixture of smiling like a mad man and Chesire Cat). "So, we have a deal."_

* * *

~~~a little time skip back to thursday~~~

So they had a deal.

But it was a beautiful Thursday and Yuui did not want to think about that deal, he needed all his concentration for his class. The teacher had found out something: Syaoron's presence might be able to distract him but that was nothing compared to the boy's _absence_. He tried to think of something different, tried to look at something else – oh, Sakura-chan and Himawari-chan were chatting about which icing to use for their cup cakes – but soon enough his eyes were drawn back to the empty place next to the girls.

Maybe Syaoron-kun was ill. Maybe he had caught a cold, just as Yuui had predicted, he had been sneezing heavily the day before… A cold was nothing to worry about, two or three days at home and it was gone. And on Monday, Syaoron-kun would be back.

That was four days, Yuui noticed.

Four days of not talking to him or seeing him in the hallway, four days of missing his smile. This prospect made him nervous. Unbalanced. But he was able to keep his apprehensions down, so home economics passed by without serious incidents.

"Sakura-chan? Can I have a word with you?" Yuui called out, as the bell rang.

"Sure," the green eyed girl replied, politely as usual. "What is it, Yuui-sensei?"

"I just wanted to ask if you have seen Syaoran-kun today. You use to walk to school with him, don't you? Because I noticed his brother is missing, so maybe Syaoran-kun had told you the reason why."

Sakura blushed at the mentioning of her boyfriend's name. Although they were a couple since White Day, they were not aware that everyone knew about it. Well, it was hard _not_ to see those two were in love.

"I've seen both of them today, but Syaoron-kun didn't seem to feel that well. Syaoran-kun tried to pursue him to stay at home but Syaoron-kun insisted that he wanted to go to school. He headed to the infirmary as soon as we got here and told me, we'll meet later in class. I haven't seen him since then."

The infirmary? The information got him even more worried. Students would not go to the infirmary if they just had a cold. Besides, Syaoron had assured Sakura he would take his classes but still, he was not here. Was he send back home? Or maybe he was still in the infirmary… Yuui knew, he would be restless for the next few days if he didn't find out the reason for the boy's absence so he had no choice.

He had to ask Seishirou-san.

He didn't like that man.

The head physician of the infirmary was a very creepy person. He even managed to make Fai nervous and Fai could deal people with a medical diploma very well. (The older Flourite twin used to make their former dentist cry after that guy had dared to take Yuui's wisdom teeth out, a very painful procedure. Fai's revenge had been terrible and he had taken it right on his next appointment at the dentist's, destroying the man's existence with geeky questions that only another chemist could handle.[1] But even if Fai had been present this day, Yuui thought that there was no way to bother the physician with geeky question because the man was _strange_.)

"Yuui-sensei? Are you alright?"

"Yes, Sakura-chan. I was just thinking."

"Well, then see you tomorrow, Sensei." Sakura went away, waving. Yuui waved back until the girl was out of sight, then he lowered his hand and let out a deep sigh. This was going to be stressful.

…

Seishirou-san showed a very odd smile (the effect was even stronger because of a very nasty scratch the man had on his cheek and it looked quite recent) as Yuui asked for Syaoron-kun and admitted that the boy was still in the infirmary but refused to let out any further information. "You can see him if you want to, but I would advise you not to do so."

"Is he in such a bad condition?"

"No, he is just dangerous." Another scary smile and the physician was gone. Yuui headed towards the beds. Like the emergency room in a hospital, every bed was surrounded by a curtain to give the patients a little bit of privacy. Only one of the curtains was closed on this day, so Syaoron was easy to be found. Yuui put the white drapery aside to find a quite grumpy Chinese boy lying in a bed, his cheeks tainted with pink, his vision blurried and every breath Syaoron took sounded like whistling.

The boy's mood lightened up the very moment he saw his teacher. "Sensei? Are you here to pick me up for class?"

"Home economics is already over, Syaoron-kun."

He sighed, sounding disappointed. "I know. Seishirou-san stopped me from going."

"Does that have anything to do with the scratch on his face?"

The student looked away. "…maybe."

Yuui didn't know the boy could be that violent. Besides, picking up a fight when one was sick was not a very clever thing to do.

"Well, I have to say he's right. Sneezing on tarts is not quite hygienic, you know." Yuui took a seat and placed a hand on the boy's forehead. No fever. As he withdrew his hand, he noticed his students stare. Yuui froze. He had seen that expression before. Not on Syaoron, but… the intensity of that look was intimidating. This was the way Fai looked, when there was only one cookie left in the cookie jar and he wanted that cookie really, **really** badly but was afraid to ask for it.

'_Why don't you just take it?'_ Yuui used to ask in moment like that although he already knew the answer he would get. The last cookie was something special, because there was only one of it. It was irreplaceable, if one took it the jar was empty. Yuui didn't want to feel like a cookie.

"Syaoron-kun, is something wrong?"

"No." A short pause, then: "You're handsome."

Yuui blushed and tried to say something, no, anything, but he just managed to stutter.

"I like it, when you're around. You make me feel calm."

The last-cookie-in-the-jar-stare changed. Now, Yuui felt like he was the only piece of caramell in front of a starving man. He felt completely lost. And the he noticed something. He boy was talking like he was in a fever delirium, although he had no fever. Still, his cheeks were slightly pink and his vision…

"Syaoron, are you drunk?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

"Of course! Why did you… How did you get your hands on alcohol?"

The boy pointed at a little bottle on the side table next to the bed. It was cough syrup. With an alcohol percentage like hard liquor, according to the label. "Seishirou-san gave that to me. Maybe I took a little bit to much, but… did I already mention how handsome you look?" Syaoron smiled a happy drunk smile and his teacher was not sure if the boy was trying to be flirty or just wanted to change subject. He stood up.

"Handing out alcohol to minors is illegal! I need to have a word with Yuuko-sensei on that!"

Suddenly, Syaoron sat up. "No, Sensei, please stay, I…" The student was cut off by a coughing fit. His lungs hurt, his throat hurt and because of his damn cold he didn't dare to kiss Yuui-sensei, although he really wanted to. The brunet started to wonder if this was really worth it, after all being ill wasn't getting him closer to his teacher at all.

"Syaoron-kun! God, are you alright?"

The boy managed to calm down, breathing greedily for air. He felt Yuui's hand on his shoulder and looked up, just to see the worried expression in these clear blue eyes. The blue of Yuui's eyes was a little bit less intense than the colour of Fai-sensei's eyes, like the colour of washed out jeans, making him think of a mountain lake. He always noticed that, but this time he thought of something else. He thought about slapping himself for his carelessness. He made Yuui-sensei worry so much... that was unforgivable.

If he'd only knew that worry was not the only reason why the blond seemed so… torn. When the boy had started to cough, Yuui had reached out for him, wanting to hug and comfort the boy. Sure, that would not cure the disease but it could help making Syaoron feel better if the student knew there was someone there for him. In the end, a little voice in Yuui's head (that sounded just like that fat woman from the sexual harassment seminary[2]) had stopped the teacher, stating: _'hugging students is inappropriate'_. So, he only touched the younger one's shoulder, feeling like a coward.

"I told Seishirou-san that I wanted the strongest medicine he had", Syaoron explained, "…because I didn't want to miss out home economics. You know, I can transcript Himawari-chan's or Sakura-chan's notes for any other class but I really wanted to take home economics."

"Syaoron, h. e. is not important and most of all it's insignificant compared to your health. You should have stayed at home."

"I know. I still wanted to go."

"Why?"

"It's **your** class", Syaoron stated, the look from his amber eyes was making Yuui once again feel like the last cookie in the cookie jar.

"Oh." _'inappropriate, inappropriate…'_, the voice in Yuui's head echoed but he tried not to listen to it. "Syaoron-kun…"

"Sensei?"

Yuui remembered saying to Fai that no one's heart was going to be broken and he really meant that but he also believed that a teacher-student-relationship would only cause trouble that would lead into broken hearts. He wanted to explain this to Syaoron, as carefully as possible, but he wasn't so sure that he had the heart for it.

"You do realize, that I am much older than you, don't you?"

"I know." The boy's reply was dry, yet serious.

"In fact, you are still a teenager."

"I know."

"And you are my student."

"I know."

"A relationship like that would be… highly inappropriate."

"I kn-"

"**Syaoron, would you **_**please**_** say something different?**", the blond teacher cried out, "'Cause I get the feeling you're not listening to a word I say!"

"… I want to be with you, nevertheless. I like you."

Something inside Yuui just snapped. The constant choir of _'inappropriate'_s fell silent and before he could even realize that his body moved, his hands were already framing Syaorons face as he placed a soft kiss on the younger one's forehead. He pulled the boy closer, burying his face in Syaorons brown hair.

"I like you, too", the blond whispered. He had never been a possessive person but right know he felt like killing anyone who dared to take that boy away from him. They sat there for a few minutes, just holding onto each other, neither speaking a word.

"Sensei, can I take some private lessons after school for the one I missed out", Syaoron asked and Yuui let go of him. The cooking teacher smiled tenderly and ran his fingers through brunet hair. "Of course. You know, when it comes to private lessons I might even be so generous to let you choose the things we make. Is there something you always wanted to try?"

'_Something I always wanted to try…'_

Well, there was, but it had nothing to do with baking. Anyway, the boy was careful enough not to let that three letter word slip off his tongue. He may have been fourteen and full of hormones but Yuui-sensei was dear to him and spending time out of school with the other one was more than he had ever dreamed of. That kind of physical experience would be a part of their relationship when they were both ready for it and Syaoron was willing to wait for that moment, so it could become special. Sex was only something precious when you shared it with someone you really loved, so they said.

And about hormones and being a teen… well, he still had magazines and his hand if the pressure would get too high to bare.[3]

"I want Itsy-Bitsy-Teeny-Weeny-Trifles."

"I've never heard of them."

"Nobody has. That's why it's a challenge."

Yuui sighed, wondering if every day from now on would become a challenge. "Fine, if that's what you want."

"By the way, a new cafe opened; I thought, maybe you'd like to check it out. It's quite far away from the campus but I guess that won't be a problem. I'd pay, since I still have to make up for my rude behavior yesterday."

"… Syaoron-kun?"

"Yes?"

"Is this your way of asking me out on a date?"

"Um… no?"

"Good. Because I hate dates. I really hate them. I mean, I'd like to meet you as long as it's not _dating_, you know."

Syaoron smiled. "So, should we set a date for our not-date?"

"I think it's better when we decide that spontaneously."

"That's fine for me." He rested his heasd on the pillow once again without breaking eye contact. "Sensei, would you stay here with me until my brother finished class? Seishirou-san won't give me the permission to leave until a family member picks me up and it's so boring here, all alone…"

Yuui noticed the way Syaorons hand was laying on the sheets, the back down so its palm was exposed, welcoming. He reached out to let his fingers trace the lines of that hand. Explored it a little bit before he entwined their fingers completely.

"I have no intention to be anywhere else", the blond man whispered, smiling.

No matter the consequences or the limitation of their relationship – he would accept it.

You can endure everything as long as you have someone to love.

* * *

[1] Do you want to irritate your dentist? Next time he is going to give your tooth a plastic filling, just ask him how big the polymer shrinkage is. Did I mention that I had 4 appointments at the dentist's last month? Last time he made me laugh so much, it's a wonder he got that filling in. This is probably his revenge for my stupid questions. Well, it could be worse. In January I had daily visits.

[2] I just assumed that teachers (and students) have sexual harassment seminarys from time to time. Why? Because it's fun that no one ever wants to visit them. I'll never forget the NCIS episode with the seminary… so, whacking somebody's head is a form of sexual harassment… so, it's a kind of flirting, huh? That makes Gibbs really look like a slu…g.

[3] Oh, c'mon, just listen to drama CD 4. You'll realize, Syaoron is a sneaky little pervert, but that's normal when you're a fourteen year old boy, only driven by your, erm, lower brain. By the way, no one ever said those magazines were containing pictures of naked girls _only_.

Hm, I used to listen to the drama CDs again and I noticed that Syaoron is the older twin.

…

…

Oops? Well, I hope you don't mind that I mixed that up, if I write another Horitsuba fic (and I will, I have some plans for KuroFai (additional to that scene in chapter 2) I'll make sure I'll get it right.


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